The study, completed by consultants The Lewin Group, is meant to highlight the economic benefits of the medical profession, and how that economy is imperiled by low reimbursements for the type of primary care often provided by family physicians in private practice, said Dr. Alice Coombs, president, Massachusetts Medical Society.

“It’s really important for legislators and people who are in policy to understand that making decisions about reimbursements and requirements and regulation can make it too difficult to sustain this economic model,” Coombs said. “The big picture is if you look at the contribution of the health care work force it is an enormous impact.”

Mundane tasks add up, she said, and take time away from helping patients.

“Every form that gets filled out, every doctor’s note for someone’s job,” she said. “It all comes back to the primary care physician.”

The study includes medical doctors and doctors of osteopathy who are primarily engaged in the independent practice of medicine. These practitioners operate private or group practices in offices and clinics and are focused on providing care to their patients.

Statewide, there are 19,550 office-based physicians, supporting 112,224 jobs with an average of 5.7 jobs supported per physician, according to the study completed by The Lewin Group, a national health care policy research and management consulting group based in Virginia at the AMA’s direction.

Those 19,550 doctors generate $31.7 billion in total economic output and support $23.5 billion in total wages and benefits. They generate $1.5 billion in state and local tax revenues.

The $31.7 billion in economic output for physicians is compared with $15.9 billion statewide for the legal industry $21.1 billion for colleges in Massachusetts $4 billion for the home health industry $44.1 billion for hospitals in Massachusetts and $9.4 billion for nursing homes.

In Worcester, physicians accounted for $2.2 billion in economic output and 10,663 jobs; in Springfield, $2 billion in economic output and 8,832 jobs; in Pittsfield, $484 million and 2,184 jobs; and in Barnstable County, $578 million and 2,619 jobs.

Nationally, on a per-doctor basis it works out to $2.2 million a year in economic activity, 6.2 jobs per doctor a payroll of $1.3 million and $98,411 in taxes.

Those taxes include payroll, social security withholding, property, business and vehicle taxes, according to the AMA’s news release.

Michael Houff is chief operating officer for Hampden County Physicians Associates and said the primary care doctors in his practice just simply are not paid by insurers for doing routine paperwork, signing forms or even talking health with patients. They are paid per procedure which leads to redundant efforts and a shift in focus from preventative care.

“It’s just a constant effort,” he said.

Houff’s company also has 20 to 25 physician assistants at any given time.